


Doctor Reid's Deceptions

by John_Faina



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Confessions, Developing Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Male Friendship, Male Slash, Neck Kissing, No Smut, Romantic Fluff, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:00:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23940445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/John_Faina/pseuds/John_Faina
Summary: After a particularly grueling case for Morgan, all he wants to do is sleep. Reid has other ideas, for he shows up at his door at midnight, crying nightmares. What is truly bothering them?
Relationships: Derek Morgan/Spencer Reid
Comments: 20
Kudos: 286





	1. Deceptions

**Author's Note:**

> This was posted in 2011 on my fanfiction.net page. It's a popular fic of mine, and I'm proud of it, though these days, I believe that Spencer Reid and Derek Morgan are brothers, not lovers. Still, it's pretty convincing and very sweet, and I just love some of the moments between them in this fic. I just want my sweet darling Reid to be happy!  
> TW: Mentions of past sexual abuse and very mild homophobia!

Sometime around midnight, Derek Morgan awoke, television still on, lamp still lit. Clooney was gone from his lap. Morgan felt a brief flash of something like panic-sprinkled sadness before he relaxed; it felt as if he'd only been asleep for a single second, yet he knew hours must have passed.

Yawning, he leaned forward to set his warm beer on the table in front of him and then ran both hands over his face and stood. After turning off the lamp and television, he began to make his way toward his wonderful, inviting bedroom, bleary-eyed and thick-throated, his mind vaguely wandering off to that case.

He didn't register the knock at his front door at first.

It came again when he reached the end of his hallway. Turning sharply and squinting at the door, Morgan was instantly alert. He stood there for a moment, wondering if he ought to go and fetch his gun before he answered it. It seemed quite a paranoid thing to do, but...who in the world would visit him at this hour?

Ultimately, weighing his options, he decided against the gun and walked back to the front door and stuck one eye into the peep hole. He snorted in disbelief, withdrew, unlocked, and threw open the door.

Spencer Reid blinked at him, then smiled tightly and offered him one of his awkward little waves.

"Hi," he said.

"What the hell, kid," Morgan rasped. "You know what time it is?"

"Uh - yes, I - I do, and I'll tell you why I'm here - listen, it's like really cold out here, so if you could perhaps let me in, that would - wait, if you were asleep, why are you still in your clothes?"

"Yeah, come in, come in." Morgan stood back, rolling his eyes. "Fell asleep in 'em, genius. I was just heading off to bed."

"Oh, right. Sorry." Reid stepped through the doorway and Morgan closed it behind him quickly; it _was_ cold out there. He stood in front of it, crossing his arms, and surveyed Reid with questioning eyebrows. Though it was dark, he was still able to make out that the kid was fully dressed, a scarf draped around his neck. His hands were shoved deeply into his pants pockets.

Irritation at the sleep interception quickly faded as curiosity took its place. Reid had never come to his place before. Something must be wrong. However, no way was he going to speak up if Morgan continued to frown at him, so he softened his expression considerably.

"Hey, Reid - are you okay, man?"

Reid glanced up at him, sniffed, and glanced down, and as he did do, a strand of hair fell out of place, brushing the side of his face. He took one hand out of his pocket and used his fingernails to comb it swiftly back behind his ear.

"Yeah, I - it's really dumb, actually, but I - had a nightmare. Only this time, I was having a lot of trouble going back to sleep afterward, and I figured you've always been my - nightmare guy, so - I didn't really know what else to do." Reid sounded uncomfortable as he finished.

"Your nightmare guy?" Morgan repeated, slightly amused, but mostly to gloss over the fact that they both knew what could have happened if Reid hadn't come here.

Reid flashed him an embarrassed little grin in response. "Feel free to kick me out if there's even a slight a possibility that you might lose your mind if you don't go to sleep _right_ now. I'm sure I can - "

"Don't be ridiculous, kid," said Morgan, warming up to him as usual. "How does my couch sound to you?"

"Well, honestly, I've never listened to your couch."

Morgan chuckled. "Your version of a joke, huh?" he teased, heading past him toward the kitchen. "You want anything? I think I got some hot chocolate hidden someplace..." He trailed off as he pulled open his cabinet doors and began rifling through them. Reid appeared in the doorway, his hands still shoved into his pockets.

"Hot chocolate," he murmured, sounding distant, yet pleased. "My mom used to make hot chocolate when she wasn't...when she was in a really good mood."

"Yeah?" said Morgan, locating the old box. "We're in luck. This is the best - my mom used to make it too." He set about the kitchen, dragging out mugs, milk, and a spoon, speaking as he did so. "So, kid. Do you feel like talkin' about it?" The spoon clinked against the mugs. He liked to stir in the powder to the milk before placing it in the microwave; it was an old habit his sisters had turned him onto.

Reid cleared his throat and Morgan imagined him swallowing. "It really wasn't dissimilar to all the others. Horror, blood, murder...my parents and Riley Jenkins..."

"Come on, Reid," Morgan scoffed. "Who d'you think you're talkin' to here? There was something different about this one, and we both know it, otherwise you'd still be at home in your bed with your nightlight, scared but adjusted." He placed the mugs into the microwave and turned to face his co-worker and friend, who was looking at him, his eyes a little wider than usual. His expression clearly said that he didn't want to talk about it at all. Morgan sighed. "Alright," he said, remembering that he had been respected earlier for not wishing to discuss something. "We don't have to."

They stood there in silence until the microwave beeped. Morgan extracted the mugs and walked with them to the circular table near where Reid was standing. He pulled out a chair and sat down, pushing Reid's mug across the surface toward him. Nodding his thanks, Reid sat down as well, finally removing his hands from his pockets and wrapping them around the warmth to hide the fact that they were indeed shaking, as Morgan had already vaguely suspected. The hot chocolate was good. Really good. Morgan felt his eyes begin to droop, while Reid's did everything but. Frankly, Morgan thought he looked scared as hell, now that he had the chance to see him properly. His eyes were still wide, there were faint bags under them, and an air of general uneasiness surrounded him like a thick fog. Morgan blinked hard a few times to clear the sleep from his mind and leaned forward. Reid's grip on the mug tightened.

"Okay, kid, I changed my mind. I think you need to tell me what it was all about."

"What?"

"Don't play with me. It's botherin' the hell out of you, isn't it? It's not gonna do any good for you to stifle it up and pretend nothing's wrong."

Reid's eyes briefly flashed with defiance. "Oh, you mean like you're doing?"

Morgan's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"Don't play with me," Reid mocked.

Of course, Morgan understood what he meant. Laughing softly, he took a long drink, contemplating what he was going to say to that. Really, what _could_ he say to that? He set his mug down on the table with a dull thud. As he turned out, he didn't need to say anything, for Reid interrupted him as soon as he began to speak.

"Listen - "

"I propose that I tell you what's bothering me if you tell me what it was about this case that got under your skin so much today."

Morgan raised his eyebrows. He started to shake his head, but then he paused. It sounded...fair enough, actually. Leaning forward again, he said, "Okay, kid, you got yourself a deal. But you gotta go first, and you have to give me every gory detail. Alright?"

Reid surprisingly disagreed. "No," he said firmly. "You need to go first."

Curious, Morgan asked, "Why's that?"

Reid met his gaze dead on before looking down at his mug and muttering, "Will you just...please."

Morgan tilted his head a little to the right, considering the man in front of him. There was no choice now. He had to go first. Scowling, he glanced at the ceiling then at the tabletop. There was about two minutes of complete silence. Eventually, his jaw clenched as his thoughts wandered off to the case.

"Didn't it piss anyone else off?" he suddenly burst out, unable to contain it. "The way those guys - they - they - got the girls for _each other_ , like some sick version of a present!"

Reid blinked, looking up. He took on a thoughtful expression and began to slowly nod. "Yes...they were trying to impress each other, since it was discovered upon their meeting that they had the same mental process and worldview. That's what bothered you?"

"Yeah, man - didn't it anybody else? They were disgusting, corrupt, _vile_ , worthless sons of bitches - "

"Morgan, we see that _every_ day. Or hear about it, or - "

"No," Morgan cut in. "No, no, these guys were...worse. The worst." He shook his head. "I know it shouldn't be gettin' to me like this."

Reid shrugged. "It gets to all of us at some point or another, as I seem to recall you telling me once upon a time. But...there has to be something else about _this_ particular case that's affected you. Right?"

Blowing out a breath, Morgan replied, "Hell, I don't know, Reid. It was - more that _bastard_ we interrogated than anything. I'd have given anything to be able to knock his ass out and - "

"Okay," Reid intervened before his words could become particularly violent. "Okay...what was it about him? Can you...pinpoint it?"

Morgan noticed something odd about Reid's expression, but his flaring anger was getting in the way of his ability to analyze it. "Tell me you didn't want to rip his face off!" he said loudly and disbelievingly. "The guy _knew_ what he'd done, and what his partner had done - _was doing_ \- and - you saw it." He gestured. "The way he behaved as if he were completely and irrefutably innocent! That calm, arrogant demeanor - he had the guts to try and _insult_ me, man!"

Reid drew his bottom lip into his mouth as he did whenever he was concentrating on something. He appraised Morgan with one of those familiar looks, and Morgan could almost hear in his head the tone of voice he was about to use.

"What did he say?" Reid asked quietly, his gaze intent, focused, questioning.

Morgan looked away, shaking his head. "He implied that the two of us were...alike."

Drawing his lip into his mouth again, Reid nodded, his brow furrowed. Eventually, he cocked his head a little, inhaled, and asked tentatively, "Morgan, d-does this have anything to do with...uh...Carl Buford?"

What? Morgan looked at him so sharply, he thought his neck might have cricked. Reid did not back down, but he appeared very anxious asking such a personal question. Morgan forced himself to relax slightly.

"What the hell makes you think that." His tone was almost dull.

"Because I - I mean, most of us - heard what went on in there and I _did_ hear him say something to that effect. A-and I just wonder if you dislike him so much because he represents, almost perfectly, your past."

Morgan closed his eyes, breathing out of his nostrils. The damn kid was too smart for his own good. Either that, or he was too concerned, too inquisitive. Either way, Morgan did _not_ want to get into this with him. Which was why his next few words surprised them both.

"Dammit, Reid. Yeah, you know what? He did. I've been trying not to think about it, but that repulsive, homosexual rapist reminded me a lot of Carl, and to have him tell me that we are _alike_ in _any_ way was too much for me to handle. The only thing we had in common was the color of our skin, and I'm _damn_ ashamed of even that after all this! And I had to let him know how sick he was. I am _nothing_ like Buford. _Nothing_."

"And anyone who's met you can testify to that any day," said Reid in that way he had. Softly and sincerely, if not a bit nervously. Then he frowned and rethought his words. "I mean, anyone who's not technically a serial killer or a rapist," he corrected looking slightly sheepish.

Morgan couldn't help but crack a small smile. "Thanks, kid," he said, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

"Hey, Morgan?" Reid said, seeming hesitant. "Can I ask you something else?"

Morgan regarded him with suspicion. Surely no good could come out of more questions at this point. He replied with "Sure", however. 

"I couldn't help but notice that you seemed especially offended by the fact that he _was_ a homosexual."

Morgan sighed, closing his eyes again. He shook his head back and forth. "Reid, man. Reid, Reid, Reid. You're _killin_ ' me here."

"I heard you coldly say that he was right, and that you had no idea what it was like to be in love with another man," Reid plowed on, seemingly oblivious to the words he'd uttered.

"Yeah. What's your point?"

"Well, I - I just wonder if you have a strong aversion to homosexuals specifically because of what Carl did to you, and if so, have you already realized it or have I only just enlightened you?"

Morgan stared at Reid in disbelief. "You are somethin' else, you know that?"

Reid shrugged, still clutching his hot chocolate mug, his expression as intent as Morgan had ever remembered seeing it.

"What's your interest in all this?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"What do you mean?" Reid blurted, looking slightly confused. "You are my friend, aren't you? Don't we work together, see each other everyday?"

"Yeah, man, but - "

"I'm just trying to dig into and solve the puzzle that is SSA Derek Morgan."

There was a pause, and Morgan burst out laughing. Reid's brown eyes lit up in a very pleased sort of way, yet he didn't smile.

"The puzzle that is me," he repeated, chuckling. "Reid, I tell you what. You are officially invited for sleepovers after bad cases like this one. Every time. It's smart because that way, you can make me feel better about it, and I can chuck a fat pillow at your head when you start up with those nightmares. Speakin' of which..."

"A-actually, Morgan, I didn't have those nightmares tonight. I lied."

"Nuh-uh. Don't even try to get outta this."

"I'm not! I honestly didn't have one tonight. It was an - an excuse."

Morgan looked at Reid's wide, innocent, and quite truthful eyes and, in one horrible moment, realized what must have happened. He felt another surge of anger that was much different from the rest of the anger of that day.

"An excuse?" he asked, pushing his mug away from him. "So, you're telling me that you come stumbling over to my place at midnight actin' like the boy who cried wolf, barge in looking scared as hell, drink my hot chocolate, and just start interrogating me? Is that _okay_ in your book?"

Reid bit his lip. He, as Morgan had already guessed ahead of time, had the decency to look ashamed, but still determined. Morgan himself was bewildered by the fact that he had been utterly fooled. Was he a profiler or not?

"Morgan, I'm sorry for lying, but - there's something I really need to know. A-and I was worried about you. You wouldn't talk about it. You're always the one forcing _me_ to - "

"I don't force you to do anything," Morgan interrupted, annoyed.

"Okay," said Reid, nodding slightly, "okay, you don't. But I usually talk about things with you...I just want you to talk to me."

What w _as_ this? Morgan wanted to be angry with him. He really _really_ wanted to be pissed off enough to kick him out of his house and tell him to mind his own damn business. But he found that he couldn't. He couldn't because it was extremely difficult to remain angry with the young doctor, especially when he was being reasonable and acting worried. So he attacked him with the only thing he could think of.

"You wanna talk, huh? Why couldn't you have ambushed me during the _daytime_ then, instead of bursting in here in the middle of the night?"

"See," Reid answered quickly, "this way, you have nowhere to run and we have more time." His tone was matter-of-fact. It was true of course; they spent most of their day at work where there were plenty of distractions and places to run. Morgan didn't know whether he ought to punch him in the face or be slightly impressed. The kid had apparently given this some thought, which meant that he cared quite a lot about what was going on with him. And he was right - Morgan did, more often than not, go to him and get him to open up about things that were plainly troubling him whenever they arose. Logically, it was only fair for him to open up in return. By that point, Morgan's anger had somewhat evaporated. He established eye contact with Reid before he spoke.

"Listen, you know you didn't have to come up with an excuse to come and talk to me. You know that right? Am I that unapproachable? If so, I apologize for that, I never meant to come off that way. _I_ was always under the impression that we - " he stopped. Reid was shaking his head fervently.

"No, no, no, you know you're not unapproachable," he scoffed. "Not at all, in fact. The issue was that I _knew_ you wouldn't talk about something like this voluntarily. I - I know you. At least, I'd like to think that I do after all these years."

"Sure you do, kid."

"I did it this way to sort of break the wall down. You know? M-maybe it's not working, but - "

"No, it's workin', Reid." Morgan gave him a little reassuring smile because he still seemed so flustered and ashamed, sighed heavily, then glanced down at his hands, which he'd clasped in the middle of the table, and looked back up. "Truth is, it's nothin' like that, what you were saying. I don't have an aversion to homosexuals. I've had _years_ to come to terms with all that - I fully understand that not all of them are sick like Carl. What triggered me was the throwback to my past that way - certain tones and - words came outta my mouth and I couldn't help myself. I couldn't help but treat that particular aspect of it as something disturbing because that is what he made me feel as I _remembered_ what happened to me. If it were anybody else, it wouldn't be like that."

"Really?" said Reid, paying him rapt attention.

"Really. That answer your question?"

Reid combed back another piece of stray hair behind his ear. "Yes," he said. "Wonderfully, in fact."

There was that odd expression again, Morgan noticed. Squinting in interest, he asked, "You said there was somethin' you needed to know."

"I did?" Reid blinked.

"Yes," Morgan replied simply.

"Oh. That's funny because I don't even recall saying anything like that."

"You said you _really_ needed to know it." Morgan raised one eyebrow.

"Well - " Reid was getting anxious again. "What you told me - that must have been it. I feel fully satisfied that my questions and worries have been answered and resolved, so..."

"Reid," said Morgan, totally unconvinced. "'Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me'. Come on, man."

Reid was looking at him almost pleadingly. The kid had a pair of seriously expressive eyes; they had been known to earn him maternal pats on the arm from the women on the team and sympathetic feelings from the men. And from Morgan specifically, a few hair ruffles and an arm slung around the shoulders. But not this time. Morgan stared him down.

"I...I lost my nerve," Reid eventually muttered.

Morgan continued to stare, despite his becoming much more intrigued by that statement. He studied the way Reid wouldn't meet his eyes, the way his knuckles had turned white from gripping the mug so hard, the way his shoulders had tensed up. Morgan silently tried to let him know that whatever it was, it was okay. He felt this...unsettling sensation in the pit of his stomach...

"Y'know, maybe I should go and, uh, let you get to sleep." Reid made to push back from the table and stand, but Morgan swiftly slid his hand to Reid's mug, removed it from his hold, and grabbed onto one of the thin hands before he had the chance. Reid furrowed his brow, and looked away from the sight seemingly as quickly as he could, yet he did not pull away.

"Pretty boy...it's your turn to talk. Talk to me."

Morgan waited until he was sure that Reid wasn't going to yank his hand away and walk out before he slowly let go himself and sat back.

It was only a few moments before Reid spoke. "Another - " He cleared his throat, still not really looking at him. "Another version of the question I asked you was - Do you have a strong aversion to homosexuals because - because they stir up certain feelings in you that - that scare you? B- _but_ \- " he rushed on to say, as if terrified that Morgan was going to start slapping him around, "that's no longer necessary."

Morgan was quiet at first. Marveling.

Then - "Is that what you thought?" he asked.

"That was _one_ of the things I thought," Reid said quickly. "But not anymore."

"Huh," Morgan said, amazed...

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I only - "

"No, will you quit that? It's fine, Reid."

"You mean you're not mad?" Reid asked tentatively.

"Me mad at you? Man, that's like Hotch in love with Garcia."

"You were mad earlier..." Reid muttered. Morgan bit back a smile.

"You ever gonna take that scarf off?" he asked, nodding toward the object. Reid blinked and looked down at his chest as if realizing that he was indeed wearing something around his neck.

"Uh, no, actually, I figure I should probably get going, so it wouldn't be too wise."

"Get going? No way, you're more than welcome to crash on my couch like I said."

"I - "

"I'm not taking no for an answer."

Reid gave a little chuckle at that, and for a very brief moment, his true smile broke through. It almost literally lit up his entire face - and it certainly lifted it. Morgan didn't get the chance to see it often, given their profession. It was, frankly, astounding. He found himself sort of starstruck until Reid said, "If you insist."

Morgan nodded. And, just like that, it all came pouring into him as if a dam had been broken. He could no longer pretend, like he had been doing since the day Reid had joined the team - like he had been doing since Reid had asked him if he was okay before they'd gone home for the day - that his feelings were not really there. They were there. They were there, and they were screaming at him louder than they had ever been known to do. All this pretending - it was no good, no good. As he thought about it, though, everything he'd told Reid so far that night was the absolute truth. He'd only been lying to himself. Ignoring himself, really. Like he always did, dammit.

All of it was hitting him hard: the simple stuff like Reid's smile, along with the heavier stuff like Reid's staggering intelligence, his sweet, bumbling personality, his deeply caring attitude, the way he had come here to corner Morgan into talking with his shallow, convincing deception and frightened brown eyes -

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Morgan suddenly said, his voice thick, making Reid cock his head. "If you weren't having nightmares tonight, then why did you arrive looking so scared? Why - " he said squinting, "were your hands shaking?"

Reid stared at him like a deer caught in headlights. "It...was cold," he said slowly, as if he himself did not really believe that to be a satisfactory answer. Morgan simply gave him a _You-can-do-better-than-that_ look, and waited somewhat impatiently.

"I - I was nervous," he eventually said, "about your reaction to me showing up and bombarding you with questions in the middle of the night, honestly."

"And that's all there was to it?" Morgan persisted, noticing with a stab of victory that Reid would have ceased being nervous by now if that were the simple case. Instead Reid was stuttering and glancing about the room as he had been doing the whole time, only looking straight at him every now and then.

"Y-yes, I really was nervous."

"About what, though?"

"I just told you!"

"Reid," Morgan said in a low voice, "I'm tellin' you, be completely honest with me right now. I'm not jokin' around..."

Something flashed in Reid's eyes then. He looked at Morgan, his throat moving as he swallowed, and said, "What happened? Something's changed..."

"You're right, kid. And I'll be honest with you, if you'll be honest with me first," Morgan told him, half-mocking his proposition of earlier.

Reid licked his lips, looking more nervous than ever, and rocked back and forth in his chair. "Morgan, I - "

"Does it have anything to do with all those questions about homosexuals?" Morgan probed relentlessly.

Reid blinked a couple of times and shook his head jerkily. "Oh, oh - you - you already knew - yeah it - why didn't you just - ?"

"Because I want to hear exactly what it is that's going through your head, pretty boy. Please." Morgan watched him intently, his gut clenching.

Reid bit down on his bottom lip, watching him just as intently in return. "Morgan, I - I didn't know how to tell you about it. I wasn't even sure that I wanted to tell you about it, because I was afraid that you hated all homosexuals on principle and if you hated - _me_ \- well, I wouldn't be able to handle it. So I had to investigate. Luckily - "

"Oh," Morgan interjected quietly, sitting back in his chair. "Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh." He pointed an index finger at Reid. "I knew...see, I knew it was somethin'."

"Something?" Reid inquired with raised eyebrows.

"Somethin' about you, kid, somethin' about you..." Morgan was muttering more to himself than anything, but he could not help it. He had never found himself attracted to another man and he knew it had to have more than simple looks or personality. Though, Reid's personality was far from simple. Morgan knew he must have sensed...this. This had to be part of it. Once he realized what he was doing, however, he stopped and looked straight up at the object of his musings. "Listen to me," he said firmly, "First of all, I could never have hated you for anything, no matter what. Even if I was prejudiced like that - because it's you, I would have found a way to look past it because I _know_ you. You're - I mean, you're damn near close to being the greatest guy I've ever known."

Reid was very obviously latching onto every word, drinking it all in with this hopeful, vulnerable expression. "I am?" he asked.

"No contest," Morgan confirmed, keeping his eyes soft. "And here's me being honest with you now..."

"What?" Reid practically whispered, his eyes wide. For some reason, this gave Morgan a much-needed boost of confidence.

"I...I have feelings for you, man. Have for a long time."

And that was it. Morgan understood that he was either making or breaking an important friendship, but there was no covering it up anymore. Things could go up or they could crash down hard from this point. Morgan was ready because, if he had bottled that up any longer, the friendship would have imploded anyway without question.

Reid continued to stare at him as though he hadn't spoken, and he was still waiting. Morgan felt unbelievable nerves, and he struggled to allow it to show through in his expression. He needed to make sure Reid knew he was serious. Vulnerable.

Finally, after what seemed like half an hour, but in actuality was probably a minute, Reid began to blink rapidly.

" _What_?" he asked hoarsely.

Morgan bit hard on the inside of his cheek and nodded. "I'm sorry if that scares you, kid, but - "

"Scares me?" Reid said incredulously. " _Scares_ me? It makes no sense! I've known you for years - you're my - my best friend - "

"I know, I know," Morgan said, gesturing for him to tone it down a little. "And I get it if you don't feel that way. I get it. Nothin' needs to come of it, we can go on...working together." His voice cracked at the idea of their not being able to remain friends. Because he knew that that would eventually happen, even if they tried to move past this. "But I had to get it out. Somethin' else you might not know about me is that, for a while, I saw a psychiatrist. If he taught me anything, he taught me that I need to express my emotions at every possible opportunity. I'm sorry if it's ruined everything, but I _had_ to, man. I know myself."

Reid stared raptly at him. One single tear slipped down his cheek; he didn't even bother to brush it away. "This isn't something I ever expected, Morgan," he said. His voice shook.

"Reid, I'm sorry." Morgan was fighting against his own tears.

"Don't be sorry, I just...I don't understand how you have feelings for me." The look on his face would have melted the hardest of criminals. Morgan was going to have to stop being friends with this man? Sometimes, he couldn't believe how cruel the world could be.

"Why not?" he asked. "Why don't you understand?"

Reid abruptly stood up from the table, his features screwed up in confusion and frustration. "Because I'm - I'm _this_ ," he made a gesture toward himself, and Morgan jumped to his feet as well, willing him not to say anything more, shaking his head. "And you - I mean, you're _that_. Statistically speaking, alpha males like you a-and Hotch and Rossi only seek out the most attractive females - a-and certainly not - "

"Reid, stop. Stop right there." Morgan walked around the table to stand in front of him. "Stop. _Don't_ sell yourself short," he said, quieter now that he was closer. "You, you're a sweet guy. You're caring. interesting. You're smart. You're so damn funny..."

"Morgan," Reid whispered, watching him almost desperately.

"Your smile makes my heart stop," Morgan plunged on, determined to reveal the truth of the matter, to make him see. "You don't realize it, but it _stuns_ people, man. Well, really, now that I think about it, you probably don't want to get me started on your looks..." He trailed off purposefully with a small smile. "The point is, you're somethin' else."

Reid's eyes were glistening. "I never even put it together," he sniffed. "Garcia told me once told me that she thought you liked me...I thought she meant..." Reid looked at him shyly. 

"That woman always knows what she's talkin' about," Morgan grinned fondly. Reid was looking at him in a way that gave him hope. His chest swelled with it. "Do you know what I thought when Giddeon first introduced you to the team?"

"No, what?" Reid asked quietly, clearly interested.

"I thought, ' _Damn_ , there's a nice-lookin' boy.'"

Reid, surprisingly, laughed. It was apparent that he had been expecting something a little different. "In other words, pretty boy," he clarified.

Morgan smiled. "Pretty boy all around. Understand?"

Reid slowly nodded, his expression still full of wonder and a bit of confusion. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can."

"Will you call me Spencer?" Reid said, talking over him.

Morgan blinked. Then his face split into a wide smile. "Spencer?"

Reid nodded, that true smile coming out for the second time.

"Spencer," Morgan repeated, watching Reid's eyes light up. "Yeah, sure I can call you Spencer. As long as you call me whatever you want, because I am willing to do anything to keep you around."

"Derek's fine."

Morgan chuckled, that hope expanding in his chest. "Does this mean what I think it means, kid?"

"I hope so," Reid responded, taking a step closer to him. "Listen, I'm not exactly sure how to say this...could you - " But he was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing. It was coming from Reid's pocket. "I'm sorry - hold on for just one second?"

Morgan nodded, curious as Reid reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his cell phone. Pressing a couple of buttons, he lifted it to his ear. There was a pause.

"Garcia?" he said into it, looking at Morgan. Morgan blinked.

" _Hello, my darling baby genius. Listen, I just finished this movie you would absolutely love--_ " came the bubbly voice of their technical analyst. 

"Uh, Garcia, actually, now's not really a good time--"

" _Oh! I'm sorry, did I wake you? I thought you said you were going to be up late--"_

"I did, and I am," said Reid, still looking at Morgan, who grinned at him. "But I'm at Morgan's right now." He paused. "Turns out you were right."

There was a moment of confused sputtering from the phone. And then, just before Reid hung up, a loud squeal. 

Morgan and Reid grinned at each other.


	2. A Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morgan and Reid decide to spend the day together.

Reid did indeed sleep on his couch.

The first thing Morgan did when he awoke the next morning (rather later than usual given how late they had stayed up talking with each other and Garcia) was creep into the den with a giant smile on his face and a half-formed idea in his brain. He was tempted to grab a couch pillow and pelt it straight at Reid's head to: one, startle him awake, and two, true to his word, interrupt any nightmares that might have been festering. Or night terrors more accurately, as Reid would have told him, which were far more intense. But when he saw how Reid was sleeping - on his stomach, one hand tucked up underneath his face, breathing deeply - he decided against it. The guy needed his sleep.

Instead, Morgan backtracked into the kitchen to prepare a pot of coffee and put some food in Clooney's bowl, thankful that it was Saturday.

Clooney came wandering in with a heavy-lidded Reid on his tail a half hour later, while Morgan was thinking lightly and sipping from his mug - his dark nose twitching and his eyes darting around hungrily. Reid's face was beet red. He was yanking straight the navy blue sweatpants Morgan had lent him to sleep in, and rotating his shoulders in his own gray undershirt. Morgan grinned at him in greeting, jerking his head toward the counter.

"I'm afraid you're gonna have to do your own coffee. Wasn't sure if you took one sugar bowl or two."

Reid blinked at him. Then he chuckled softly and walked right over to the coffee pot, rubbing at his right eye with two long fingers. Morgan immediately took a liking to the casual look he was witnessing. He wasn't even sure if he had ever seen Reid in anything other than a sweater vest, button-down, and tie. And, dammit, if he didn't quit grinning...

He managed to get a hold of himself before Reid turned around, a steaming mug of coffee in his hands, the same mug he had been using the previous night. As he raised it to his mouth, Morgan raised his eyebrows; Reid was watching him over the rim almost cautiously. A moment later, he had lowered his gaze to the liquid, and he cradled the mug against his middle, his thumb tapping an off-beat on the china. He walked over the table and sat down opposite of Morgan, swallowing the burning drink.

"I'm actually here," he said rather breathlessly.

The grin was back. "You are," Morgan confirmed.

"That means last night wasn't a dream at all."

Morgan simply snorted.

"Hmm," Reid hummed with a pleased little smile dawning his features, his eyes sweeping the tabletop. Morgan's grin was back full blast. He didn't care.

"How'd you sleep on that lumpy ol' thing?"

"Oh, it was great," Reid said quickly. "I didn't find it lumpy, I found it pretty comfortable, though your dog, I think," he continued as Clooney trotted over and dropped his head into his lap, "had a problem with me. He licked my face and pawed at me until I woke up. But yes, I slept well otherwise, you have - good taste in furniture."

Morgan had not been this cheerful in - perhaps ever. How was it that Reid could be so awkward and charming at the same time? He laughed quietly. "Well, thanks, I do my best. I'm glad you were able to sleep through the night. Don't get Clooney wrong though - he's just not used to his space being taken up. You were sleepin' on his bed."

Reid gave him one of those closed-lip smiles, his eyes rather bright. There were a few moments of silence. It wasn't necessarily uncomfortable - to Morgan, at least - but he was in fact wondering -

"So, what - what do we do now?" Reid asked, his voice a half a pitch higher than usual. "I probably don't need to remind you that I have no - experience with something - something like this."

"I know," Morgan assured him. "I figure that doesn't matter much, 'cause I don't either."

Reid glanced up, obviously incredulous.

"You said it yourself one time," Morgan went on. "You've never seen me with the same girl twice. I have no idea what it's like to date someone long-term." He paused, and re-thought that statement. "Someone important."

Reid's eyes lit up instantly, as if silently asking I'm important? Morgan just smiled at him. This man had no idea what was coming to him, if little things like that made him feel good...

"Well, I - I guess we should - I mean, what do you usually do with your weekends?" Reid asked him.

"Huh...let's see," Morgan sighed, pondering. "I hang out with Clooney here" - the dog, responding to his name, turned his attention to Morgan instead and began licking his hand - "you know, take him for walks. I read a little - "

"You read?" Reid asked, clearly interested.

"When I have the time," Morgan nodded, the smile still there. "Usually after I hit the gym, when I'm just tryin' to wind down. You're not the only one around here who reads books, kid."

Reid nodded thoughtfully. He hesitated before asking, "D'you think - A-are we going to tell the team?"

"I don't see why not," Morgan replied after some consideration. "Seein' as how one of them already knows, and the others have already suspected for some time."

"They have?" Reid asked, startled.

" 'Fraid so. I know we're not supposed to profile each other, but, come on, we all do it. And if we just started acknowledgin' this stuff between us, then it must've been pretty darn obvious to the rest of 'em, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess so." Reid swallowed.

"We'll just have to be prepared for what's comin' to us," Morgan told him with some amusement. "Hotch'll wanna give us a big talk - JJ's gonna bombard you with questions so fast, your head'll spin, there's no tellin' what Prentiss is gonna do - "

"And Garcia will smother us with hugs and lunatic nicknames," Reid threw in.

"What about Rossi?" Morgan asked, his eyes practically twinkling.

"Oh, he'll tell us that we're both morons, and that he was the first one to figure it out."

Morgan laughed, feeling very warm. "So tell me, what does young Doctor Reid do with his weekends?"

Reid dropped his gaze for a moment. "A few things...nothing you would be interested in," he muttered.

"Hey. Trust me. I'm interested."

Reid looked back up, a faint pink appearing high on his cheekbones. "W-well, I - read. A lot. I work on things. Maybe I should get a dog."

"Alright, kid, tell you what. We're gonna have some fun tonight, me and you."

Reid tilted his head to one side, intrigued.

"You like movies?" Morgan asked.

Reid nodded. "Generally. As long as - "

"Care to see one with me?" Morgan said, heading off what he knew was going to turn into a long rant. Not that he wasn't interested in Reid's long rants (in fact, he could listen for hours), but he wanted to get to the really important part first.

Reid nodded again, shyly, as if he knew.

Morgan smiled at him and they spent the remainder of the morning drinking the coffee, chatting about nothing in particular.

::::::

The night was cold - possibly even colder than the night before - and it was not helped along by the sharp wind that blew through their jackets and smacked their faces. They walked together, their hands shoved deep into their pockets to preserve warmth, into the brightly lit theater, where the familiar, warm smell of popcorn welcomed them. They were shedding their jackets in no time.

Morgan was in such a good mood, and had been for hours upon hours by that point, that he could hardly keep a straight face. He'd had to argue with Reid over seeing a horror film because of this ("Why would you want to see a horror flick? Nuh-uh, we live in a horror flick, don't you get enough of that stuff?"); he knew comedy or romance was the only way to go on a night like this. Reid had reluctantly agreed, explaining that he found most comedies to be dull and most romances to have absurd plot lines and unrealistic conclusions. Morgan had assured him that the movie had gotten great reviews, but that he was free to make any comment at any time and point out any errors or make any suggestions as to how the jokes could be improved, and so there they were.

They settled into their seats, shoulders brushing. The movie wasn't the important thing anyway. They both knew it.

"Kid, you feelin' some popcorn? I think we still got time..." Morgan checked his watch, but Reid shook his head.

"Nah. I never liked popcorn."

"Really?" Morgan turned his head to look at him. "See, I never knew that," he said as though picking up on a previous conversation they'd been having.

"Well, you never asked, why would you know?" Reid joked lightly.

Morgan shrugged. "It's those little things. That's the point of this, know what I mean? I wanna get to know you like that."

Reid blew out a breath and tilted his head back against the seat, smiling at him slightly. Morgan thought he looked pleased. "How many of those have you got?"

"What?" Morgan asked, furrowing his brow.

"Those...remarks. You're full of them!"

Morgan grinned in understanding. "I ought'a be, I've been thinkin' these things for years now. What, you can't handle it?"

"No, no, not at all, I just..." Reid trailed off, seemingly unable to come up with anything to say, which was pretty incredible.

"If it makes you uncomfortable, I'll tone it down," Morgan suggested, hoping that that wasn't the case because it would mean having to bottle things up again, but he was willing to do it.

Reid contemplated this for a moment, and responded, "It doesn't", shaking his head with an expression on his face as though he were quite surprised with himself. Morgan had to smile.

"Good thing," he said quietly; the lights were dimming.

The movie turned out to be very funny, in his opinion. Even Reid laughed on a couple of memorable occasions, though he mostly just pulled amused faces whenever Morgan did so. He did offer up a little bit of commentary on various things like his hometown of Las Vegas, which was the main setting, and the probability of discovering a tiger in the bathroom, which was his idea of a joke, at which Morgan laughed heartily and genuinely.

By the time it was over, Morgan could not believe his mood. He was going to explode, plain and simple - Reid was smiling and relaxed for the first time that week - and he realized, they had spent the entire day together. One of the best days he'd ever experienced.

"Spencer," he said in a low voice, as everyone slowly but surely cleared out of the theater, chuckling and joking with friends. Reid looked at him with his brown eyes, the low, yellowish light from the ceiling growing brighter and hitting his hair, softening his skin even further than it already appeared. "How the hell have you not been snatched up by somebody? I mean, I've had the time of my life with you today, man."

"I could...hum...say the same thing verbatim," Reid told him in an endearingly shy, quiet tone, fiddling with the armrest of his seat.

"But you wouldn't," Morgan grinned.

"No, most likely not," Reid agreed. "I'd keep it to myself."

"I guess it's a good thing you got me to say what's on our minds then," said Morgan, nudging him playfully. "What else you keepin' to yourself? No, no, wait, let me see if I can do this..." He leaned in closer to Reid, who couldn't seem to stop looking at him with this sweet expression; their foreheads nearly touched. "You're thinkin' that...you wanna give me a little kiss. Yeah? Tell me I nailed it."

Reid raised one eyebrow skeptically. "J-just a little one?"

Morgan was impressed. "Doctor Reid, is that you tryin' to flirt with me right now?"

Reid shot him a sheepish grin in reply. The theater was completely empty apart from the two of them by that point; naturally, Morgan was unable to help himself. He closed the distance between them, but did so slowly so that Reid had the option of pulling back, which he didn't - in fact, the younger man met him half-way, pressing his smooth lips against Morgan's gently, but without fear. This was crucial in that a sense of trust had already been established between them. Morgan understood this. They'd been friends for so long...he could not screw it up no matter what.

Reid's eyes fluttered closed, and Morgan's did the same, the feeling in his stomach threatening to overwhelm him. He raised a hand to sweep some wavy brown hair away from their faces, carefully tucking the strands behind Reid's ear, then slid his fingers through it until he reached the back of Reid's head, cupping it. He pulled back slightly so that their lips were barely brushing...Reid reached out as if searching for something, and loosely grabbed onto his shoulder, his fingers twisting in the fabric of his shirt, then began pecking him on the mouth slowly, repeatedly...

Morgan reciprocated with gentle enthusiasm, his nose bumping into the attractive hollow of Reid's cheek. At one point, he lightly sucked on the soft bottom lip before pulling back, reveling in the sharp inhale it produced from the young agent. Reid seemed to lose his way after that, becoming rather fumbling in his technique, his hand falling from Morgan's shoulder. But Morgan still mourned the loss of those lips when Reid sat back, staring at him almost guiltily.

"What's the matter?" he asked, fairly distracted.

"Derek - I'm sorry, this isn't my area of expertise and sometimes I get a little - " He gestured. "If something breaks my concentration, I - "

"What broke your concentration?" Morgan asked, continuing to run his fingers soothingly through Reid's very touchable hair. "You start thinkin' about something?"

"Yeah - you, actually. I know it doesn't make much sense, but there are times like - like when I do something like this, I start thinking about what I'm doing and then I can't - I can't do it anymore. Usually, I start spouting off statistics - "

"That so?"

"Yes, and it's pretty pathetic. Add that to the fact that it's you and it'll end up being that I won't even be able to hear your voice over the phone without freaking out."

"Uh-huh," Morgan said absently. He grabbed hold of the armrest between them and moved it up out of the way so that he could scoot in a little closer, and intertwined their fingers, giving Reid's a squeeze. "Listen, that's not gonna be a problem."

"What do you mean?" Reid asked, glancing down at their hands.

"I won't let you get like that around me. It's never been like that. Plus - look at me real quick."

Reid looked up. Morgan smiled somewhat suggestively, leaning in until their foreheads met again.

"Plus...and I apologize if it's too soon to be sayin' this, but when we get going...you won't be able to think like that for long."

The effect was instantaneous. Reid's normally pale face flooded with a color Morgan hadn't thought possible. He laughed nervously, his hand jerking and beginning to sweat in Morgan's. "U-um...r-really? 'Cause I've always found that my brain is a-always - um - always - what I mean to say is, I'm always thinking and I find it hard to - "

"Hey. Pretty boy. Calm down," Morgan advised him, bumping the tip of his small nose with his own. "Don't worry about all that, okay? Just try to focus on what's happening in the moment and what you feel."

Reid nodded, taking in a deep breath. "Alright. B-but we should probably get out of here before the employees come in to clean."

Morgan had nearly forgotten that they were still sitting in the theater. Glancing around briefly, he stood, pulling Reid (who was still blushing wildly) with him because he was not yet willing to let go of the thin, long-fingered hand.

"Let's go then. Find a more comfortable spot..."

Reid cleared his throat and Morgan grinned privately to himself, thinking that this was all so much more fun than he'd ever imagined it to be.

::::::

They drove back to Morgan's place, where Reid's car still sat in the driveway.

The genius himself had been talking his ear off the entire way, which was perfectly fine by him, but what Morgan really wanted was to lean over and feel that soft, pretty, yet still masculine mouth against his again. He did not, however, want to pressure Reid or cause him to feel any type of discomfort, so he was going to stifle the urge for the time being. Instead he listened intently to the information Reid was bursting with, giving him occasional nods to encourage him to keep talking. That voice was something special.

They had walked all the way to the front door before Reid seemed to realize where they were and that Morgan was standing there, staring at him with a slight smirk, not even bothering with the key. He stopped speaking abruptly and crossed his arms, looking suddenly self-conscious.

"What?" he asked in a worried tone.

Morgan shook his head. "Nothin'. I just like hearin' my boy when he's feeling like an expert."

Reid's eyes brightened at once. "Really?" His voice cracked a little bit. "I always suspected I annoyed you."

Morgan leaned sideways against the door, forgetting about opening it despite the bitter cold. "Nah. What you do is fascinate me, Rei - Spencer. I mean, sure, when you start goin' off, it's hard to understand everything you say, but just thinking that you know all this stuff...it's impressive, you know? I could listen to you ramble all day long. As a matter of fact, I think I just did," Morgan smirked some more.

"Ah - " Reid stepped up to him. "I - can we - ? M-maybe I was too - I mean - you know what?" He took a breath. "I wanna give that kissing thing another go."

"Oh, you don't have to tell me twice," Morgan said, relieved, as he stepped forward as well and gently gripped Reid's face in his hands. He pressed their lips together for the second time that night, his thumbs sweeping over soft, defined cheeks. A moment passed, and Reid slid his arms around Morgan's middle, slipping them inside the flaps of his jacket. Morgan liked that. It was odd though...he wasn't used to kissing someone slightly taller than him. He hummed a little against Reid's lips, furrowing his brow in concentration while the sharp wind slapped at them. He was surprised, and very pleasantly so, when he felt a warm tongue trace his bottom lip; he pounced on the opportunity to let Reid into his mouth. Morgan vaguely wondered if he had ever studied kissing methods in a textbook or something, as the young doctor expertly mapped him out and coaxed Morgan's tongue into his own mouth, or if he had simply had the practice. He mentally added the question to the list that he planned on asking one day. Later. Much later...

He slowly turned Reid and pressed him against the door, practically devouring him now. He couldn't help himself. Fortunately, Reid didn't seem to mind at all, for he tightened his hold on Morgan's middle, emitting a small noise from his throat. Suddenly, Morgan couldn't feel the wind anymore. He dropped his hands from Reid's face just as Reid seemed to decide that his arms would do better around Morgan's neck, and leaned into him, sliding his hands down to Reid's hips, where he squeezed, getting a feel for how thin he really was. He was all sharp bones, soft skin, and long features it seemed like, and Morgan found that he couldn't wait until he was graced with the opportunity to discover more. He wanted to know what Reid really, really looked like underneath all his layers (physically and emotionally); though it didn't seem to be difficult to imagine, he suspected that he was in for a surprise.

Morgan wound his own arms around Reid's middle, instantly enjoying the way he fit into him, and struggled to keep up - Reid was kissing him like there was no tomorrow. He was beginning to feel just a little dizzy. It was unbelievable. After a few intense minutes, Morgan managed to compose his thoughts enough to detach their lips, lowering his own instead to the underside of Reid's jaw.

"We're gonna freeze to death out here," he breathed.

"I doubt it," Reid breathed back, tightening his hold around Morgan's neck. Morgan chuckled appreciatively, and began to drop kisses all down the side of his throat.

"We ought'a go inside, pretty boy..."

"Mm...I can't, I h-have to go..."

"Go where?" Morgan kissed him briefly.

Reid kissed him back. "Home."

"Why?"

There was that smile again. "Because there's no reason for me to stay here again."

"But - "

"Trust me," Reid said against his forehead, gazing at him as if the last thing he wanted to do was go home. "I need to go."

Morgan looked at him questioningly for a few moments before he understood. Reid was under the impression that if they went inside, they might take things a step further - something he wasn't ready for. Neither of them were. Morgan only desired the pleasure of his company for now; taking the next step was so not yet worth the risk. Reluctantly, he extracted himself from Reid's hold.

"Alright," he said. "Go if you feel like you need to. But I hope you know that we're not gonna do anything you're uncomfortable with. We've worked together and respected each other way too long for that."

Reid, upon hearing this, began to nod slowly as though he was processing the information. "We...have," he said. He blinked in apparent revelation. "You're right." And suddenly he was smiling. Morgan felt his heart skip a beat. Before he knew what was happening, Reid had thrown his arms around him in a tight hug.

"Woah," Morgan said, startled and very pleased.

Reid buried his face in the crook of his neck, saying as he did so, "I can't really seem to wrap my head around it, y'know? This...you...and me and...all of it. I'm so used to having those nightmares and nothing - nothing especially good ever happens in my personal life and - this is just - it feels like it's not - "

Morgan closed his eyes, hugging him back with as much strength as possible without hurting him, and turned his face toward those nice-smelling brown locks. "I'm right there with you. Believe me."  
"This is real, right?"

"Want me to pinch you?"

"No!"

Morgan laughed softly, and they broke apart, grinning at each other. "C'mon. Stay with me just one more night. We could both use a little company."

Reid appeared to consider it, his warm eyes roaming over Morgan's features. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, I'll stay with you."

"Yeah?"

"Yes," Reid laughed. Then he paused. "Got any more hot chocolate?"


	3. Disclosure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Morgan and Reid become more comfortable together, decisions are made.

Two weeks to the day had elapsed since that memorable night when Spencer Reid had shown up on his doorstep and accidentally charmed his way into Morgan's love life. Two bizarre, unreal, absurdly wonderful weeks.

They had survived their team member's individual attacks when they had agreed to go for the simplest approach in order to tell them - they had stepped off the elevator holding hands, nervous and prepared for...anything. JJ, the first person they saw, had walked straight by them on the way to Hotch's office as they entered, her eyes set and determined about something that was yet unknown, and never noticed anything unusual at all until she returned five minutes later to quite a scene: Morgan and Reid standing very close together (Morgan had been nodding and shooting Reid fond smiles, which Reid returned with a bashful quality), Garcia dancing around them, squealing and kissing their cheeks, as it had been her first opportunity to do so; Prentiss standing there stuttering with her hands on her hips, a dazed smile on her lips, and Rossi, staring hard at them, his head tilted slightly.

JJ had halted dead in her tracks before making her way towards it all to add to the mix her own shock and, eventually, as she learned of what had happened, her own brand of congratulations. Hotch had emerged from his office after her to see what the fuss was about. He'd joined the party, and suddenly - everyone knew. It had been scary, but Morgan knew that it was certainly worth it. They were a family. They had each others' backs no matter what. And even though Hotch had asked them for a private word in regard to whether or not they believed a relationship was a good idea considering the job, among a few other things, and Rossi had cornered them multiple times during the course of that day - Morgan understood that the team was happy for them. Shocked, and more than a little confused as to how it could have happened so quickly, but happy.

He was happy too. Reid was everything he had ever wanted or needed, even if he had never before known exactly what that was. He'd needed someone smarter than him, to balance out conversation, and he'd needed someone less physically able, because he didn't feel alive if he didn't feel like he could effortlessly protect that someone, should protection be required, and he'd needed someone who could soothe his temper in a matter of seconds and make him smile a matter of seconds later. Reid was every bit of that and so much more. He intended on making sure the genius knew it too; the poor man had had some abandonment issued in the past, and he sure as hell had some self-esteem issues. Morgan had to fix that. He would make it his mission.

Currently, they were seated on his couch (they had consciously been making the effort to spend as much time as possible together outside of work), separated by a few inches, watching a documentary on - well, the universe - that Reid claimed he had been hoping to catch.

Morgan was not particularly interested in it, but he was, however, interested in observing Reid's interest. The young doctor was sitting forward, his chin resting upon his knuckles, his eyes squinting at the screen, a hint of a smile on his lips as though the information he was receiving was old news, but he did seem to want to turn it off. He batted half-heartedly at Clooney when the dog nipped at the fingers that hung over his knee. Morgan grinned fondly.

"Hey."

"Hmm?" asked Reid, distracted.

"Spencer."

"Uh-huh...?" He never tore his eyes away.

"Spen-cer," he sing-songed.

"What?"

"I got a question for you."

"Alright..." he said softly, still watching, his eyebrows furrowing.

Morgan rolled his eyes. Without issuing a warning of any kind, he reached over to grab hold of Reid's wrist, and firmly tugged him sideways. His long limbs flailed as he struggled to remain upright, but he ended up over Morgan's lap all the same, squirming and protesting, his concentration broken at last. Clooney yipped at them.

"Morgan!" he squeaked, his cheeks tinged with red. "Quit it - what are you - ah! - what are you doing? I'm trying to - "

"Shh, shh, c'mon, I'm not killin' you," Morgan told him, laughing and holding him down. " 'S time for you to relax a little bit and get some of my good ol' fashioned lovin'. Trust me, it'll do wonders for ya."

Reid squirmed, still trying to escape. "W-what - ? I don't need - "

"No," Morgan interrupted, situating himself so that he could gently push Reid back into the cushions, while keeping him on his lap. "What you mean is, you're not used to it. Stop fightin' me for a second, okay? It'll be fine, I promise you that."

Gradually, Reid ceased struggling, though his eyes darted around uncertainly, and his limbs stiffened against him. His head rested against the arm of the couch. Morgan had one hand on his knee, squeezing, and the other on his chest; he waited a beat to make certain that Reid wasn't going to flee at the first opportunity, then lifted them.

"There," he said, the corners of his eyes crinkling. Reid glared at him. "Now, when's the last time you had a nice, hard rub-down?"

"What?" Reid squeaked.

"A massage, pretty boy, a massage."

"Oh, um - never, actually." Reid bit his lip.

Morgan shot him an odd look. "You're kiddin' me."

"Do I seem like the type of person to walk into a spa and pay money to have some stranger - probably a woman - rub her hands all over me?"

Morgan snorted, unconsciously placing his own hand on Reid's sweater-vest-covered middle, spreading his fingers apart, feeling the soft material. "Okay, you got yourself a point." Reid's stomach muscles contracted at the sudden intrusion, and he grabbed onto Morgan's hand with both of his own. Morgan continued, unfazed, "But somethin' tells me you're long overdue."

Reid gulped.

"It really won't be as bad as you're thinkin'."

"No - no, I - I don't think that at all."

"Then, what is it?" he asked curiously, using his free hand to push Reid's hair back from his forehead.

Reid shifted, pressing Morgan's hand flat to his stomach again. " 'M not that familiar with people touching me...I know you understand," he said in a low, apologetic voice.

"Mm-hm," Morgan replied soothingly. "And I know you understand that I would never touch you like that."

Reid looked confused and lightly stunned for a moment, before he dropped his gaze like a kicked puppy. Morgan realized his mistake and scrambled to correct it at once, elaborating, "In a way that would make you uncomfortable, Spencer. Or after you'd asked me to quit it."

Reid blinked back up at him, his eyebrows raised. "Yeah," he said, his voice at a slightly higher pitch than usual. "Yeah, I know that. Of course." His expression held mild embarrassment.

"Alright, then," Morgan smiled softly. "You trust me. I trust you."

"Shouldn't I be in a...different position?" Reid asked somewhat breathlessly.

"Yeah - here - " Morgan placed a hand underneath Reid's back, concealing his delight. "Sit up, we'll get you situated right."

Reid did as he was told, and allowed himself to be guided into the space between Morgan's legs, which he had just made wide enough for the thin man, his back facing him with both feet on the floor. Clooney continued to yip at them, clearly wanting in on the action. Morgan resisted the urge to snake his arms around Reid from behind and hold onto him comfortingly - instead, he placed his hands on his tense shoulders, squeezing gently, saying as he did so, "You just go on watchin' your show, while I try to work my magic back here."

Reid nodded, scratching at one of the dog's ears. "Did you know that when a person receives a massage, there are actually endorphins that are released that can make the experience feel magical? Medical research has shown that pain relief, reduced trait anxiety and depression, and temporarily reduced blood pressure, heart rate, and state of anxiety are the beneficial effects of massages - they've been documented as having been used since the ancient and medieval times, and have over eighty different recognized modalities, which include - "

Morgan dug his thumbs into the surprisingly tight skin, and found that he simply could not resist leaning forward slightly to kiss the back of Reid's neck as he rambled on about the different types of massages. He didn't even flinch, so absorbed as he was in the information he was relating. Narrowing his eyes, Morgan dug his thumbs in a little more forcefully, really beginning to attack those tense muscles.

" - and the hot...ahh...rock treatment, which..." He trailed off, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Um, is mainly used to...oh...my goodness..." Reid dropped his head, one hand falling onto Morgan's knee.

"Here we go," Morgan murmured into Reid's ear, pleased. "Just relax, baby boy."

Reid turned his head a little, so that Morgan's forehead was pressed to his temple. "Baby boy?" he asked, all else apparently tossed to the back of his brilliant mind.

"Sorry...slipped out."

"No, I - I like the way it sounds," Reid told him shyly, chuckling a little. Morgan began to knead the muscles more deeply and slowly, smiling back like a loon. He worked the length of Reid's back, listening to the small noises of satisfaction with great pleasure, and even ran his hands from his shoulders down his long, sleeve-covered arms, alternating between squeezing and trailing with only his fingertips, which caused Reid to shudder not once, but twice. Experimenting with this, Morgan trailed his fingertips down his spine, and then his sides. Reid shuddered again, squirming, and let out a puff of air he'd evidently been holding in, both of his hands now gripping Morgan's knees. Morgan would have been prepared to bet that his eyes were closed at that point. He resumed the deep muscle and tissue massage, taking care to get his neck and lower back. Reid seemed to enjoy this just as much, for he groaned deep in his throat, his head now tilted back slightly.

"Morgan...?" he breathed.

"Derek," Morgan corrected him.

"Mm...is it normal to get...to get goosebumps from this?" Reid shuddered yet again.

Morgan was focusing on his arms again. "I dunno..." he said, kissing his neck, where there were indeed tiny bumps fervently erupting. "It is for you, huh? You are...the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he blurted gruffly.

Reid very nearly whimpered. "I can't believe you just said that..." He inhaled as Morgan softly blew on the area just below his ear, while still working his hands in those sensitive areas. After a moment, Morgan reached around and, in a matter of seconds, had the button-down shirt un-tucked from the khaki pants.

"I'm not doin' anything..." he murmured reassuringly before Reid could protest.

"I trust you," Reid replied, his breathing shaky.

Morgan swallowed thickly, and ran his hands up his shirt, feeling the soft, blazing skin that was obviously covered in the bumps. Reid sighed, pressing into him - a breakthrough, if ever there was one - and said, "I truly believe that your hands do contain magic powers."

"Oh, you haven't seen nothin' yet," Morgan promised him, finally giving into his temptation to wind his arms around Reid's middle. He rested his chin on his shoulder, pressing his face into the side of his neck. "You gorgeous boy, you," he mumbled.

Reid stiffened a little, but leaned back into him, placing his hands in his own lap. "Why - " he began.

"Not buyin' it," Morgan mumbled again, having (in the back of his mind) half-way expected this.

"Uh - not buying what?"

"You got a brain and two eyes that function."

"Yes. I believe most of us do."

Morgan kissed the still-bumpy skin underneath his lips. "You gotta know how good you look. And don't you bother telling me you're too skinny."

Reid said nothing.

"I probably don't have to point it out to you that I've always called you pretty boy, right?" Morgan went on, undeterred. Reid would get in the groove sooner or later. "Turns out, there's a reason. But now..." he trailed off, his voice rumbling, tightening his hold. "Every time you look sexy as hell, I'm'ma tell you...like when you change your hair, or wear those glasses, or ramble...or sit there."

It took a moment, but Reid did reply this time with, "You are - " he paused, as if searching for a word, and then found one: "ridiculous." His voice held uncertainty and amusement, absolutely no hint of belief in his own charm or features that contributed to what Morgan was trying to explain.

Morgan scoffed. "Yeah, okay. Don't worry, I have faith in that brain; you're gonna get it one o'these days. It'll be imprinted on you."

"Hmm...whatever you say," Reid responded, sounding suddenly cheerful, his voice full of something like hope. Morgan thought he knew what that was all about, but didn't comment upon it. Instead he kissed Reid's neck again, scooting forward without thinking, tightening his legs around either side of him. Reid remained relaxed in his own way at first, and then inhaled, stiffening the way he would if a murderer was pointing a gun at his head. Morgan inwardly cursed himself.

"Ignore that," he said, his hold loosening. Had he no self-control? Now he'd ruined the moment. Perfect.

Reid turned so that he was half facing him, looking very flustered. His innocent brown eyes roved over Morgan's face, his eyebrows contracted. Then his gaze darted downward, and back up, as if he was scared he would be harshly scolded. His throat moved as he swallowed. Morgan stared, transfixed, at him for no particular reason. He wondered what he was going to do...he felt suddenly ashamed of himself.

"U-um, I - can't," Reid stammered. Morgan watched him questioningly. "Or, what I mean to say is - I don't really - want to," he said quickly, biting his lip hard as blood rushed into his face.

It took a second for that to register. But when it did -

"Man, what? No." Morgan was gaping like a fish out of water. No five words had ever stunned him so much.

Reid swallowed again, and began to slowly nod, his eyes darting around, deciding. "I want - um - you. As well." He hesitated. "Tonight."

Morgan's pulse quickened to almost an intolerable pace.

"You...sure?" he croaked. The prospect seemed foreign to him, as if he'd heard about it and thought about it, but had never actually expected to go there, as much as he wanted to.

"Yes," Reid told him in a small voice, with feeling. "I-I've done the research, and - there's endless quantifiable indicators that point to - to my being very much in love with you, which constitutes - um - intercourse in adult relationships, obviously."

Morgan sat back. "Oh, Spencer." His chest seemed to be swelling.

Reid blinked nervously. "What?"

Morgan laughed shakily, feeling overwhelmed. "You're just a big ol' sweetheart. How in the world did I get so lucky as to be the person you fall in love with, can you answer me that? C'mere." He opened his arms and Reid awkwardly hurried into them, burying his face in his neck. "Mm, I'm very much in love with you too, baby boy," he said fiercely.

"I know," Reid said. His voice was muffled, but Morgan could feel the vibrations from it. "The same indicators held true for you - I was surprised that I was able to read into your actions to figure it out, though, because you used to be so guarded with me."

"Well, there's no reason for all that anymore, now is there?" Morgan didn't find it odd at all that Reid had done research on this. It was completely him, and he wouldn't have had it happen any other way. It did surprise him a little that he didn't already have the exact science of love down to a "T", but he knew that the science and the actual feeling were two totally separate things. It was this thought lead him to say, "Lemme ask you somethin'."

"Anything," Reid mumbled.

Morgan breathed in deeply and slowly, vaguely noticing that the documentary on the universe had gone off; the credits were rolling. He kissed Reid's hair. "You ever been in love before?"

"No," Reid admitted softly. "I've only experienced crushes."

"How d'you know they were just crushes?" Morgan asked, curious.

"Because...none of them felt like this. I didn't even realize it could feel like this," Reid breathed into his neck. Morgan nearly mangled his bottom lip, closing his eyes against the surges of emotion and desire.

"Alright," he rasped, pushing gently at him to stand up. Reid did so and Morgan stood in front of him, placing his hands on his narrow hips and kissing him. Neither noticed Clooney pawing at them. They broke apart, breathing heavily. "Come with me."

Reid pushed at his hair with two hands and followed him down the hall into the bedroom at the end. Clooney jumped up onto the couch, which he now had all to himself, and watched them retreat, his head resting on the back. There was the sound of a door being shut.

Clooney whined softly, and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments if you'd be interested in a bit of a sequel...nine years later.


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